He's pounding nails into a hardwood floor/And I swear to God I heard someone moaning...

- Tom Waits

We've all been burned by lousy professionals. Whether it's sinister mechanics who cut wires to keep you coming back for more, or plumbers who can't fix that lousy drip unless they've clogged their pockets with a wad of your $20s, or contractors who abscond with your life savings, or the photographer who double-exposed your wedding negatives, or that unscrupulous surgeon who waited till the anesthesia took effect before...well, let's just say the prospect of finding a pro without getting screwed sometimes seems shadowy at best.

And that's why this category exists. Because we want to spare you the pain we've all suffered.

It's not so much a celebration of these fine workers for excellence in their fields, although they all presumably deserve it, for getting the votes in - but it's a way that our readers can give something back. They can say, "Hey! These guys didn't just avoid sticking it to us, they genuinely helped us out!"

So we can share these professional goldmines and spread the good word to others.

Now rest assured, this is a readers' poll, not an editorial.

But when you're in the mood to get your f'eng shui'ed, many people have been known to peer at the Real Best on their fridge for an idea of where to go.